Crux (Youth Pastoral Centre)
Home of the 'church with the leaning tower' — Catholic youth pastoral centre in Cologne's Südstadt, combining a church, café, and community spaces under one roof.
CRUX (Latin for cross) is the Catholic Church's youth pastoral centre in Cologne's Südstadt. Under one roof, it brings together the Church of St. Johann Baptist and the CRUX Café.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Youth pastoral centre with church, café, and meeting rooms
- Location
- Altstadt-Süd, Innenstadt district
- Operator
- Katholische Jugendagentur Köln gGmbH
- Church
- St. Johann Baptist, named after John the Baptist
- Café
- approx. 70 m², open three days a week
In summer 2004, the tower of St. Johann Baptist tilted as a result of construction work on Cologne's North-South City Rail line, prompting reports of a 'Leaning Tower of Cologne' across the region – and it was precisely this mishap that accelerated plans to transform the church into a youth pastoral centre.
The Leaning Tower
During construction of the Nord-Süd-Stadtbahn underground line in the summer of 2004, the church tower developed a noticeable lean. Reports of Cologne's very own leaning tower spread well beyond the city limits. The tilt and the resulting renovation work accelerated plans to transform the church into a centre for young people.
History
The positive experiences of World Youth Day 2005 strengthened the Archdiocese of Cologne's resolve to expand youth ministry and establish youth pastoral centres. In 2006, Dominik Meiering became city youth chaplain and played a decisive role in shaping CRUX as a place of belonging, encounter, and community. After lengthy renovations, the church was consecrated in June 2009; the café followed in April 2010. Since 2007, sisters from the Community of Servants of the Gospel have volunteered at CRUX.
Architecture and Spaces
The layout makes CRUX's guiding principle tangible: faith and life belong together. The main part of the building is taken up by the Church of St. Johann Baptist, while the tower and adjoining area house the café. Additional spaces include the CRUX Hall for larger gatherings and the Pope's Salon for smaller groups. Deliberately understated in design, the church invites young people to shape its interior — alongside medieval statues and the baptismal font, converted speaker cabinets serve as seating.
Events and Taizé
The spiritual heart is the city youth Mass, celebrated every Sunday at 6 p.m. (except the first Sunday of the month) in the CRUX church. CRUX also has strong ties with Taizé: monthly Taizé prayers are held at St. Agnes, two Taizé trips run each year, and the first Sunday of November brings the Grande Nuit des Lumières. Alongside the spiritual programme, leisure activities and group events are also on offer.
CRUX Café
The counter area and lounge give the café a futuristic feel, with UFO-shaped lamps, sofas, and a large window front facing the street. More than 30 young people and young adults volunteer to run the bar.
Timeline
- 2004Church tower tilts in summer due to North-South City Rail construction
- September 2004Tower tilts, renovation works become necessary
- 2005World Youth Day experiences strengthen desire for youth pastoral centres
- 2006Dominik Meiering becomes city youth pastor and shapes the CRUX philosophy
- 2007Sisters of the Community of Servants of the Gospel begin volunteering
- 28. Juni 2009Consecration of CRUX Church St. Johann Baptist by auxiliary bishop Manfred Melzer
- 12. April 2010Opening of the CRUX Café
- 15. August 2015Tobias Schwaderlapp becomes new CRUX director as city and district youth pastor
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26